Dipper's Choice
by Sheer Malarkey
Summary: The world is coming to an end. The Pines family is scrambling for answers. Dipper's choice could save the world, but at what cost?
1. Chapter 1

Dipper didn't know what to do. Time was running out. Bill was almost finished with his plan, and none of them could do anything to stop it, short of killing the Dream Demon himself. Of course, as a being of pure energy, he couldn't be killed. And even if he was possessing a body, his new power levels would prevent anything from touching him. And if someone somehow managed to hurt him, he could simply abandon the body and find another schmuck to make a deal. The twelve-year-old sighed and kept flipping through the pages of the journals. The Stans were trying to delay Bill with whatever traps and spells they could, and Mabel was out recruiting the forest creatures to fight. And Dipper was doing nothing! He couldn't even find a single hint to a solution! The only thing he'd found was that Bill could be killed whilst in a body, but he already knew that no one could touch him if he was possessing… The thought trailed away as a new idea prodded at his mind. He followed it carefully, trying desperately not to lose the trail of bread crumbs. Bill had to be in a body. He couldn't be touched while in a body. He would leave if he thought he was in danger. But he was still a demon, which meant that he could be forcefully bound to an object. If bound, he wouldn't be able to leave a damaged body. And though a body couldn't be hurt while he was there… It could be hurt beforehand. If Cipher was bound to an already dying body-no, he'd know ahead of time, like always…Wouldn't he?

Dipper frantically turned through the pages until he found the guide to sigils and symbols. Before he did anything else, he took out a piece of chalk and quickly drew a large circle on the wooden floor and marked it with the signs for _warding _and _blindness. _It would do for now. Then he turned back to his books, searching for the binding sigil. He found it on a page of its own, decorated with little sketches of what happened when the process went wrong. He shuddered but kept looking. It was very complicated, and the more powerful the intended victim, the larger the sigil had to be. But with the supplies stored in the lab, Dipper thought they could do it. Then came the issue of killing a body slowly. Bill could not be allowed notice he was dying until it was too late for him to do anything about it, like sinking the continent in revenge. That meant more blinding sigils, in addition to the one covering the binding trap. Feeling sick but forcing it away, Dipper flipped to the page on toxins and poisons. Most of them were actually too deadly, killing much too quickly. Finally he found one that, although "very unpleasant" when first ingested, was unnoticeable right up until the end. Again, its ingredients were in the lab. Dipper laughed. They could do this! They had a chance! Then the other side of the plan fell on him. His insides felt like they were melting into a cold pile of slime in the bottom of his stomach. Bill could only possess someone if they made a deal with him. Someone was going to have to die. A tiny voice in his head tried to point out the memory of his last conversation with the demon, but he frantically shut it up. The feeling got worse anyway and he started shaking as he unwillingly began counting people off the list. Only someone who had dealt with Bill before had the experience to do it, and the only person outside of the Pines family was Gideon Gleeful, who… That was better not to think about. _Besides, _the voice whispered, _he probably wouldn't kind of deal with someone who wasn't of Pines blood. _That left the four of them; the three people he cared most about in the world. Mabel, though she would be willing, was _unacceptable._ Dipper would not let his sister die. Either of the Stans would also be willing, but Stanley's knowledge was needed to stop what Bill had set into motion. And after these events, Stanford was the only person the world would trust with the future. He needed to be around for the people of Gravity Falls and for the rest of the world to rely on. Insistently, the voice reminded, _Bill swore that the only vessel he wanted was, "PinETReE." _And so… And so-

Dipper jumped out of the circle as the feeling in his gut became unbearable. He made it to a garbage can before throwing up. He clutched the can with trembling hands, tears streaming down his face. There was only one way to stop Bill, to save the world: he had to kill himself.

He knelt, shivering and crying as his brain raced to find another solution. Surely he could find someone else, or call the Stans, or Mabel, or anyone else to help him think of a way out of this. But Stanley didn't have a phone yet, Stanford's was broken, and Mabel… Mabel couldn't know about any of this. Not until Bill was gone and she was safe. He had to save his sister. And there wasn't enough time to find anyone else. He had to save Mabel. He waited to make sure that he wouldn't get sick again, then climbed unsteadily to his feet. He had to save his sister.


	2. Chapter 2

The copy machine whirred and chunked, and then spat out a sheet of paper. After a moment, the image on it flickered and then peeled itself into the third dimension.

"Dipper, this is a bad idea," Tyrone said, standing up. The original nodded.

"But it's better than letting everyone die," he mumbled.

The clone stared at him for a second, and then, to Dipper's surprise, pulled him into a hug.

"I'd take your place, but-"

"You're only paper. I know."

They stood for a moment, while the copy tried to comfort himself as much as he could. Then Dipper pulled away.

"We need to get to work," he said stiffly. Tyrone took a deep breath, his own memories telling him what he needed to do.

"I'll get the ingredients. Let the others start making the poison. Send one to get the knife."

Tyron left, leaving Dipper to make a half a dozen more copies of himself.

While the nameless clones carefully worked on the poison, Tyrone helped Dipper with the trap. The first issue was his tattoo. The Stans had insisted that the twins get warding tattoos like theirs, so that Bill couldn't possess either of them again. Now they had to get rid of it.

Feeling like he should be crying or laughing hysterically, Tyrone pulled the red-hot poker of the the fireplace and reluctantly carried it to where Dipper sat, his shirt off, tattoo clear on his shoulder. He clutched a pillow and deliberately faced the window.

"Make sure you break every shape and every line. Bill can't suspect anything," the boy said quickly, shivering from more than the cold.

"Got it," the clone choked out, raising the poker. Dipper's screams were muffled by the pillow, but there was nothing to lessen the acrid stench of burning flesh that filled the room. Tyrone thought that the next step was even worse.

An eternity later, the clone sat down and curled up in a dark corner of the room, shaking and making small gasping noises. He couldn't believe what his hands had just done. Even if it had been for Mabel's sake, he couldn't have just done _that._ Dipper gingerly walked over, every step forcing another wave of tears.

"You did good, Tyrone," he said roughly, his voice hoarse from screaming.

The clone trembled and didn't respond as Dipper staggered to the kitchen to drop the bloody knife in the sink. There was only one clone left working on the poison; the others all having melted in accidents.

"It's done," the clone announced, turning off the heat and lifting the lid of the pot. Before Dipper could stop him, a blast of steam shot out and caught him in the face. As he melted, the clone turned to him and mumbled, "Good luck," before collapsing in a puddle of goo.

Dipper stared for a moment, and then stepped around it to grab his video camera off the counter. He took a glass and carefully filled it halfway from the pot. Then he slowly climbed up the stairs to the room he had shared with his sister all summer. He delicately set the glass down out of sight by the door and then placed the camera on the dresser. He checked the mirror to make sure that he looked more or less like himself. Then he sat down and pressed Record.

…

A flash of static, and then Dipper was backing away from the camera. His eyes were red and his hair was a mess, but he was smiling.

"Hey Mabel," he said, waving. His voice was a lot rougher than normal. "I'm sorry that I'm not saying this in person, but we don't have much time left." He glanced at something out of sight, and then resumed looking forwards.

"I'm making this video for two reasons. The first is to explain what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. In my research, I found out that Bill can be killed if he's trapped in a dying body. But we know that if he has a body, no one can even get close to hurting it. So… So I realized we needed to trick Bill into getting trapped in a body that was already dying. I didn't have time to-to find anyone else, so here I am. I've destroyed my warding tattoo and I've got a binding sigil on my back. Bill won't notice it because I've got a blinding sign hiding it. And now-" He broke off, biting his lip. He took a deep breath. "Now I have my hands on an incurable poison that will kill Bill stone dead. I-I probably should have told you earlier, but Bill has talked to me a couple of times recently, trying to make a deal. I'm going to drink it, call him, and let him become Bipper again, but this time he won't get away." Dipper adjusted his hat and looked away, trying not to cry.

"Mabel, the second reason for this recording is…is saying goodbye. No matter how this turns out, this is the end of the line for me." He looked straight into the camera. "Mabel, you have to promise me that you will go on to enjoy your life. Have fun, fall in love, and laugh. Please, Mabel, laugh for me. To the Stans: Grandpa Stanley, you are the best mentor any scientist-slash-explorer-slash-detective could want. I'm so glad that I've gotten to know you over the past few weeks. Grunkle Stan, I can't even express how grateful I am that you invited us to the Mystery Shack this summer. These last couple of months have been the best of my life, bar none. Thank you for toughening me up. I needed it. Thank you, Grunkle Stan. And Mabel…"

He smiled, a real smile that lit up the room. "…Mabel, you are the best sister, the best twin, and the best friend that anyone could ever even hope for. You're outrageously funny, fantastically fun to be with, and a very smart person. I love you more than I can say. Mabel, I love you so, so much! Give Mom and Dad my love too. And to all three of the Pines twins in the Mystery Shack, I love you."

He smiled once more. "Goodbye." Static.


	3. Chapter 3

Dipper pressed the Stop button and sat back, his head in his hands. He'd almost settled down when the door flew open, narrowly missing the glass. "What _the heck_ is going on, Dipper?!" Grunkle Stan yelled, stomping in.

Dipper jumped, his eyes wide with shock. "Grunkle Stan? What are you doing here?"

"I came back to check on you and see if you'd made any progress, and when I got here I found a circle around the Shack, a copy-clone crying in a corner who wouldn't talk to me, and I come up here and find you making what sounds like a 'Farewell' video! So I'm asking again: Dipper, _please _tell me what's going on." He knelt in front of the kid and rested his hand on his shoulder. His burnt shoulder.

Dipper flinched back with a badly suppressed yelp. Confused, Stanford glanced at his hand and then back at Dipper, who was trying to hold back tears. Stan's eyes widened in horror.

"Dipper," he said quietly. "Let me see your tattoo."

He almost refused, but he realized that he would have to show his Grunkle sooner or later. Dipper slowly shrugged off his vest, and then, wincing, peeled off his shirt. Then he turned to show Stanford his back, clenching the blood-stained shirt to his chest. The man gasped behind him.

Though Stan had initially been horrified by the angry twisting burns that mutilated and deactivated the warding tattoo, his attention was immediately draw to the circles and lines cut into the rest of the boy's back. His fingers hovered over the still-oozing cuts, tracing the complicated lines of the binding sigil.

"Oh Dipper," he whispered. "What have you done?"

"I found a way to beat Bill," the boy said, turning back around. "He can be killed if he's stuck in a body."

"Dipper, you know he won't let anything kill him if he's stuck in a body."

"Not if the body's already dying!"

Stan froze as that sunk in. "Dipper, you didn't-"

"Not yet. But I have to soon."

"No! I won't let you do this! Dipper- I came back to tell you that Stanley might have found a way to stop everything! We just need to patch you back up and grab the journals and meet him in the tunnels. There's another way, Dipper. You don't have to do this!" And Dipper wanted to believe him with all of his heart.

"You're lying. You would've been shouting that as soon as you ran in the front door. Stanford, this is the only option we have."

"No! It's not! There's always another way! There has to be…something we can do…"

"Not in the time we have left."

Stan stared at him, all of his other ideas and lies crumbling in the face of the relentless clock. "Fine. But I'm going to do it."

"What? No-"

"I'm your Grunkle, and I've had a long life. I'm doing it!"

Dipper shook his head sadly. "There isn't time, and we don't know if Bill would even want to possess you."

"The same could be true for you! Dipper-"

"Bill told me a week ago that he'd trade me anything I wanted for my body."

Stanford straightened in surprise. "You spoke to Bill _a week ago?!_" Dipper nodded, not meeting his eyes.

"…When was the last time you talked to him?"

"The night before last, in a nightmare. He wasn't trying to do anything. He was just taunting me."

"But why- never mind. That isn't the problem now. Dipper, I'm not going to let you kill yourself!"

"There isn't enough time for anything else!" Dipper blinked, tears rolling down his face. "This has to be done. For Mabel's sake. And I'm the only one who can do it. Please, Grunkle Stan. This is our only chance." They stared at each other, tears streaming freely down both faces.

"…Alright. I'll help you," Stanford said, his voice cracking. Dipper launched himself off the bed and buried his face in his Grunkle's chest. He hugged him tightly, silent sobs shaking his small body. Grunkle Stan hugged him back, his hands carefully placed on the boy's head and good shoulder. They stayed that way for a minute, until Dipper took a deep breath and pulled away.

"Time is running out," he murmured, wiping his cheeks. Then he stiffly asked, "Grunkle Stan, are all of the lines of the binding sigil correct? Tyrone checked everything once he was done, but he wasn't… in a very good state."

Stan mentally braced himself and then examined the cuts. After a moment, he said, "All of the lines are right, but one on the outside is I think an inch too short."

"Then fix it."

"What?"

"Fix it, Grunkle Stan. We can't take any chances."

Stanford hesitated, and then pulled out his pocket knife. Biting his lip, he made a shallow cut in the boy's back, extending the line another inch.

"Is it bleeding?" Dipper asked.

"No. Why?"

"It won't count if it isn't deep enough."

"Kid- I don't want to hurt you!"

Dipper laughed mirthlessly. "I really don't care anymore. Just fix it, Grunkle Stan."

Stan inhaled and then deepened the cut. Almost immediately, blood welled out and began rolling down his back. "It's bleeding now."

"Thank you. The sigil is good?"

"Yep. It's… it's good."

"And the blinding sign?" Dipper raised his right arm, revealing a smaller and simpler series of cuts.

"…This is good too. It just needs to be activated."

"Thanks. Could you hand me the lantern?"

Stan grabbed the lantern and handed it to Dipper, who took off the glass casing and then turned it on. Stan looked away as he held the flame to the side. The sign caught fire, and once all the lines were burning with an unnatural light, it flashed brightly once and then vanished. Blinking, Stanford saw that all of the cuts were gone, leaving only the burns on the mangled tattoo and leaving the rest of his back an irritated red.

"It's gone," Stan announced.

"Good… and I can still feel it. Now there's only one thing left to do before I call Bill."

Stan frowned. "Doesn't he have to be summoned?" Dipper shook his head.

"After the whole 'Bipper' thing, I discovered that I can just call Bill and he'll show up."

"Okay. I guess. What do you have to do?"

Dipper glanced away. Then he stumbled over to where he had set down the glass, and he picked it up.

"Dipper, is that-"

"Stanley's journals said that it's unnoticeable until it's too late to do anything about it."

"…Dipper-"

"You'll need to leave after I drink this. If this wasn't a trap, I wouldn't call him unless I was sure that no one else was around. Find Stanley and Mabel. Tell them I love them."

"Dipper!"

"What?"

Grunkle Stan hugged him tightly, trying not to touch the invisible wounds. Dipper set the glass down on the dresser and returned the embrace.

"I'm proud to be your Grunkle, Dipper. I love you so much," Stanford whispered, trying to make up for all the times they'd never have in the last minutes they had together.

"I love you too, Grunkle Stan."

Eventually, Dipper pulled away again. He smiled at Stanford. Then he turned and picked up the glass. The liquid inside was licorice black and about the consistency of liquified pudding. It smelled… wrong. Just wrong. Like a marigold hiding a dead caterpillar underneath, or coppery chocolate chip cookies. Dipper tried to use his analytical side, to see this like a scientist and push away the rising panic. _You're doing this For Science! Not to die saving the world, just to see what happens, _he thought to himself. An idea occurred to him.

"Grunkle Stan! Can you time this?"

"What?" Stanford asked, more than a little disconcerted.

"The journals don't say precisely how long this takes and so we can figure it out if you set a stop watch to start when I drink this and to stop when B-Bipper dies."

"…Sure kid. Whatever you say."

Stan got his watch ready, not sure what was happening, but wishing they were doing anything else. "It's, uh, set."

Dipper grinned, excited at the prospect of an experiment. Then he realized that he was looking forward to knowing how long he took to die. _Probably not healthy, _he thought. _Whatever. _

"You want to do the countdown, Grunkle Stan?" he asked, raising the glass. Stanford blanched.

"No. No, I don't."

"Oh well. I'll do it."

Refusing to think seriously about what he was doing, Dipper raised the glass again. "In five, four, three, two, one-" Grunkle Stan pressed the button and Dipper drained the glass in one gulp.

It tasted like emptiness. Not like nothing, but a hollowness, like a negative number. But he could definitely feel it, sliding and… cracking? as it went down his throat. It sloshed into his stomach like it didn't want to, preferring to stay between his mouth and his gut. But then it was down and done. The pain started. Dipper coughed once, putting his hand to his throat. It felt like there was sandpaper in his lungs, grinding against every breath. He coughed some more, holding his neck.

"Dipper?" Stan asked, fear in his voice.

"It's… supposed to… do this," the boy rasped, struggling to breathe. "It'll… go away soon." Then his legs began to shake, and refusing to support his weight, he dropped to his knees. His skin was itching-burning, and his whole body started to shake and twitch.

"Dipper!"

As the boy collapsed, Stanford caught him and cradled him to his chest as he shook and gasped for air. And all Stan could do was hold him and pray that his great-nephew didn't die in his arms.

What felt like a year later, the spasms subsided and Dipper was finally able to fill his lungs again.

"Dipper! Are you okay? Talk to me!" The kid frowned.

"Everything feels…cold," he said, flexing his fingers.

"But it worked? You're-"

They stared at each other as the unsaid word hung in the air.

"Yeah. It worked. You should go. I have to call Bill and make the deal." Stanford sniffed and gave him one last hug before standing up.

"Could you break the circle when you leave?"

"Of course, kid."

"Grunkle Stan?" Stanford looked back.

"Thank you for everything."

Stan smiled sadly. "You too, Dipper." And then he left, not trusting himself to linger any longer and waste any more of Dipper's precious time. He stepped out the front door and scuffed his shoe through the chalk, feeling a silent hum vanish from the air. Then he took off, sprinting through the woods to find Stanley, to see if there was any way to undo everything.


	4. Chapter 4

Dipper didn't want to summon Bill to the room he had shared with this sister all summer, so he stumbled down the hall into the attic floor, where, he remembered, he had mistakenly made this deal before. The coldness numbed the pain from his back and made it easier to think. He sensed the circle break and the protection fall. And, with his thoughts in order and his wits about him, Dipper shouted, "Bill! I want to make a deal!"

For ten seconds, nothing happened, and he wondered if he had made an enormous mistake. Then the color melted out of the room and a familiar cackle filled the Shack. To speed the process up, Dipper touched the tips of his first two fingers together and then overlapped his middle fingers to make a triangle. After a second, an eye opened in the middle and when he put his hands down, Bill Cipher was standing on the other side of the room.

"PIneTreE!" Bill exclaimed with delight. "I coULdn'T seE You For a wHILe TheRE! I wAS sTArtIng tO geT Worried! WhaT hAVe yoU bEEn uP to?"

Dipper sat down in the window seat. "I've been trying to think without you messing around in my head!"

"FaIR eNOUGh. But SOmEthinG iS DifFerEnt ABOut yOu, PinETRee…"

The triangle floated over and squinted at him, suspicious. Then he punched Dipper in the bad shoulder and laughed when the boy yelped. "YoU dEStrOYEd youR TATtOo! HahA! DoeS ThIs MEan-?"

"I want to make a deal, Bill."

"HAha! ThAt Is FanTaSTIC! What chaNGed yoUR Mind?"

Dipper clasped his hands in his lap. "I was researching, trying to find anything we could do to stop you, and…"

"AnD?"

"…And there is NOTHING! Nothing that I can do, or Mabel, or Grunkle Stan, or even Stanley! You've won, Bill! And there is nothing we can do to stop it! So now I'm doing the only thing I can to help my family!"

"…WeLl, It iS nICe To heAR yoU SAy ThAT! SO kiD, wHAt dO yOU waNT? FAme? PowER? A jaCuZZi?" Dipper took a deep breath. This was the most important part of all.

"In return for my body, you will protect Mabel Pines, Stanford Pines, and Stanley Pines from all mortal danger, and from all physical harm caused by you, directly or indirectly. Those are the terms of my bargain. Do we have a deal?" Bill crossed his arms with his equivalent of a raised eyebrow.

"YOU dRIvE a hArd BARgaiN, kID! BuT YOu KNoW wHAT? I'M iN A GOoD moOD ANd You'Re gIVinG ME eXACTlY wHaT I wanT, sO I'm nOT eVeN GoiNg tO BOtHEr doUBle-croSsiNG yOU tODaY! YOu'VE gOT YOurSELf A dEAL, PinETrEe!"

The dream-demon stuck out a flaming hand, and, with just a moment's hesitation, Dipper shook it. His hand caught fire and the deal was sealed.

…

Deep in the forest, Mabel was pleading with the gnomes.

"Please, Jeff!" she begged.

"You have to help us! Even if you just want to save yourselves, we have to work together!"

Jeff shook his head. "Sorry Mabel, but we gnomes are done helping. Every time we've interfered with humans, it's gone badly. Sorry, but no."

"Jeff, _please! _Just listen to me! We can- Augh!"

A burst of pain exploded around her right eye and she doubled over, clutching her face. After a few seconds, it dissipated and she felt fine again.

"That was weird," she said, straightening. The she frowned. All the gnomes were staring at her with fear in their eyes.

"What?"

Jeff held out a hand and another gnome placed a mirror in it. He held it up so that she could see herself. There were three glowing yellow lines in a triangle around her eye. She brushed her finger over them and whispered, "Oh, _no." _

Then she fled, running to find her family, leaving the frightened gnomes behind.

…

In a bunker far below the surface, Stanley roared in frustration and tore a metal bar off the machine. _Nothing _was working! Then he gasped and put his hand to his face as pain flared around his eye. For a moment, he thought that something had been thrown off the machine and hit him, until the pain faded as if nothing had happened. He frowned and wiped some grime off of a panel. In his reflection in the smooth metal underneath, he saw a glowing yellow triangle around his right eye.

"That's _really _not good," he muttered, turning to find the exit.

…

Stanford hurtled through the trees, half-blinded by tears. He had to get to Stanley. Stanley could stop this! He suddenly skidded to a halt, covering his face and wincing as his eye twinged sharply. It was gone after a moment, and as he took his hand away he was surprised to see it unbloodied. With growing dread, he took out his pocket knife and in the blade's reflection he saw the glowing triangle around his right eye.

"Dipper," he breathed, looking back in the direction of the Shack. Then he turned back and resumed running. He had to get to his brother _now._

_…_

Wasting no time, Bill pulled sharply and _ripped _Dipper out of his body, throwing the new ghost head over heels towards the far wall. Dipper grimaced and slowed himself, turning back in time to see his body slide off the seat and land painfully on its knees. Then Bill lifted the head at an angle and pulled its mouth into a too-wide grin.

"HAhAHa!" IT feEls gREAt tOo BE baCk In A boDY, PINetrEe! THanKs!" He rolled the head around like a puppet with cut strings.

"WOw kID! YoU've gOt MOre KnOTs iN youR BaCK tHAn A prEsCHOoler'S sHOElACes! You NeED to reLAX!"

"Really, Bill? _You're _lecturing me on taking care of my body?" Dipper retorted, crossing his arms. "Last time we did this, you broke four of my fingers in one afternoon!"

"YEesH, KId, RElaX! I'm juST MEsSIng WitH yoU!" Bill said, rolling the body's eyes. Then he grinned. "ComE ON, PINetRee! LeT'S go sEe tHE ENd oF The WOrLD!"


	5. Chapter 5

Standford saw Mabel first, careening wildly through the trees, desperate to get back to the Shack. "Mabel!" he called, getting her attention. She veered towards him, relieved to find someone else.

"Grunkle Stan!" she yelled, sliding to a stop beside him. "Your face!"

"I know. Yours too?"

She nodded, pulling back her hair to show the glowing lines. "What about Dipper?" she asked, letting it fall.

"I-I don't know if he has it too," Stanford stammered, biting his lip.

After a moment, Mabel quietly said, "I'm scared, Grunkle Stan. Because this is Bill's sign, isn't it?" Stan nodded, unable to speak.

"What does it mean? Why would he do this?" She was pacing now, walking in a circle on the fallen pine needles. "It doesn't making any sense! He already knows that we're trying to stop him! Why?" She stopped and whirled around. "Grunkle Stan, what is going on?!" she wailed, starting to cry.

Stanford, feeling way beyond awful, pulled her into a hug and stroked her hair as she cried. He felt even worse when he realized that he'd done this exact same thing for her brother not long before. Then they both looked up as footsteps alerted them to Stanley's approach.

"You both have it as well," he said grimly. "It's Cipher. We have to get back to the Shack."

Stanley led the way back as they dodged trees and bushes. They arrived at the Mystery Shack in time to see Dipper open the front door and step out with a smile. But even at this distance, Mabel could tell that it wasn't Dipper anymore.

"No," she whispered, falling into Stanford as her knees gave way. He caught her and picked her up, though she kept her eyes glued to the thing that had once been her brother. Stanley stepped forward to confront him.

"STanLEY! LoNG tIme, nO sEe! How haVe yOU BEEn?" Bipper said cheerfully, standing on the edge of the porch. Stanley ignored his question and growled, "Leave my grandson alone! Leave his body and don't come back!" Bipper laughed.

"MAKe mE!"

Stanley curled his hard into a fist, but though he tried, he couldn't bring himself to punch his grandson's face. Furious, he lowered his fist. Bipper smirked. "I THoUght sO."

"What are you doing, Cipher?" Stanley hissed, clenching his teeth.

"COmE oN, STAn, YoU KnoW me! I'M STArTiNG tHe apOCalYPSE!"

"How did you get Dipper's body? He knows not to make deals with you!"

"YOu'D thINK hE'D'Ve LEARneD bY NOw!" Bipper laughed, brushing past him. "StAnFoRD! YOu LoOK aS… alWaYS! ANd my DEAr sISTEr, thE SHooTingsTAR! HoW'rE yoU dOIng?" Grunkle Stan protectively stepped in front of the girl.

"Leave her alone, Bill!" Stanford warned.

"HAhA! I JusT wanT tO TaLK wITh my SISTer! Step AsiDE!"

He merely pulled Mabel closer.

"FiNe," the monster said, flexing his fingers. "LET's sEE wHAt I cAn DO!"

He reached out like he was catching a butterfly, but when he raised his hand, Stanford's feet left the ground. He flailed, trying to regain control, but there wasn't anything he could do. Bipper dodged Stanley's swing and then caught, lifted him as well. He laughed at their struggles for a moment, then turned to Mabel, who was frozen in terror.

"SO, sIs. AnYthInG tO sAY?"

"…Where is my brother?"

"THAt mORon? He'S rIGhT heRe!" He looked over his shoulder at nothing and grinned. "SHe sTILl caN'T hEar you, PinEtREe!"

"Dipper? Can you hear me?" Mabel cried, waving her arms though the air, trying to touch him.

The sudden sound of spinning tires on gravel announced the arrival of Gravity Falls' only police cruiser. Everyone paused as Officer Blubs shouted, "We heard there was a dist-"

He caught sight of the Stans, hovering at 15m, Mabel, tearfully pleading with her brother, who appeared to be having the time of his life. "What _the heck_ is going on here?!"

"IT's noT wHAT It LOoks liKE!" Bipper shouted. Everyone stared at him.

He thought about it for a moment, and then said, "AcTUalLy… IT Is."

He flicked his head and the cruiser smashed nose-first into a tree on the far side of the clearing. He laughed, and with a malicious grin at the horrified Stans, threw them out of sight over the trees.

"Grunkle Stan!" Mabel screamed. That kind of landing would break more that a leg.

"AhAHahAHA! RELaX, SHooTinGsTAr! ThEy'Re FIne!" he said cheerfully.

"What? No, they aren't! That is the kind of thing humans can't survive, you sick-"

"I _cAN't _HuRT thEm, ShoOtInGSTaR, BeCAuSe oF ThIS." He darted forwards and lightly tapped the yellow line on her cheek.

"_ThaT_ waS yOUr IdIot bRotHeR'S deAL. ThEY doN't EveN HaVE a sCRAtcH oN tHEm! SO hoW aBOuT It, ShoOTIngStAR? WanT tO mAke a dEAl TO sAVE YOUr BRotHeR's LiFE?" He offered a flaming hand.

Mabel could suddenly hear Dipper's voice shouting in her head, telling her not to make any deals. She knew her brother couldn't actually talk to her without a body, but with Bipper invitingly holding out a hand, his imaginary voice was true enough. Her hands clenched into fists.

"No, I _don't! _Because we are going to save him _without _any of your tricks, even if I have to beat you out of his head myself! We are going to save him, then we're going to stop you and save the world! That I promise you!"

Bipper laughed cruelly. "GoOD LUcK!"

Then, with a sardonic bow, he turned and strolled into the forest, soon disappearing from sight. Mabel watching him go, fury and determination keeping her on her feet. She stalked back to the Shack, but her anger lessened with every step until she had begun to doubt herself by the time she opened the door. _If only Dipper could tell me what he was thinking, _she thought, stepping inside. She looked up from her shoes and saw her brother curled up on his side in the corner of the room.

"Dipper!" she cried, running over to him. But as he stirred, looked up, and met her gaze, she realized that his color was off, and his familiar hat was missing its iconic pine tree.

"T-Tyrone? What happened?" Dipper only cloned himself if he really needed to talk something out with someone who understood him perfectly. Or if he needed an extra set of hands. Tyrone sat up and pulled his knees to his chest.

"Dipper found a way to stop Bill. He was supposed to make you a recording. It should be up in your room," he murmured, staring blankly at the far wall. Mabel stood up and, with a worried look at the clone, hurried up the stairs. The camcorder was waiting for her on the dresser. She grabbed it and ran back down to plug it into the television. Static, and then the real Dipper was backing away from the screen…


	6. Chapter 6

Stanford screamed as he hurtled through the air. The trees were much less inviting from above than he remembered, and as their energy ran out, they began to fall towards the unforgiving earth below. Stanford cringed as they passed treetop level, the needle-covered branches reaching out to tear at them. Then the triangle on his face began to glow. The branches bent gracefully away as they fell through, whipping back into place once they had passed. When they were a half a dozen meters from the ground, a gentle pressure started underneath them, pushing them up as they dropped until they had completely stopped, a meter off the ground. Suspended horizontally, they gasped for air, exchanging glances of bewilderment and relief. After a moment, Stanley swung his legs down, and as soon as his feet touched the bed of needles, the mysterious force holding him let go. The triangle on his face faded. Stanford followed suit, brushing himself off as Stanley asked, "What was that?"

His twin reluctantly answered, "I think that was Dipper's deal."

Without the need to say anything more, they turned and jogged back to the Mystery Shack.

...

"-Goodbye." Static. Mabel sat, staring at the screen, her sweater soaked in tears. Tyrone was holding her shoulders, cautious of anything more for fear of melting.

"But why didn't you wait for anyone?" she whispered to the T.V.

"Grunkle Stan came by and tried everything to stop him," Tyrone said, hastily guessing what must have happened based on the little he had seen. "But Dipper was determined, and he forced Stan to leave so that he could call Bill. Stan would have done it himself, but there wasn't any time." He shifted, dreading what he knew he had to say next.

"Mabel, you can't try to save him."

"What? How can you say that?" She pushed him away.

"Mabel, his body is essentially dead already. If he were to get it back, he'd die anyways and Bill would get away. And Bill _can't _leave now, even if he wanted to. Even if we all made deals to get rid of the Binding, to heal his body, and to throw Bill out, we'd be out of time and _everyone _would die, Dipper included. _Please, _Mabel, let Dipper do this for you and for the world." Mabel started at him.

"But he's my brother," she whispered.

"I know," he murmured, rubbing her back. "I'm so, so sorry."

The door flew open and the Stans ran it. They were winded but unhurt, just as Bill had said. Grunkle Stan rushed to Mabel's side while Stanley questioned Tyrone on Dipper's actions. When he was done, Stanley sat down in the recliner, thinking.

"It's a good plan," he muttered to himself. "But it doesn't solve the big problem of the end of the world. It just takes the Triangle out of the picture. But how do we stop the whole thing?"

He forcefully massaged his forehead, trying to think, when he noticed that Tyrone was standing in the corner, still trying not to melt.

"Hey. Copyclone. What's your name?"

"Tyrone," he mumbled, wishing he had picked a less obviously 'cool' name.

"Tyrone, I think I know a way to make you waterproof. For a while at least."

"…Really?"

"It probably won't last forever, but it should hold for now. Let's go down to the lab."

While Tyrone and Stanley went down to the basement (Stanley carrying the pot of poison for disposal), Mabel and Stanford were left alone in the living room. They sat awkwardly in silence, until Stan cleared his throat and started, "Mabel, I-"

"How could you let him do it?"

"Mabel-"

"You could have stopped him! You could have done something! Why didn't-" She broke down, sobbing. Grunkle Stan gathered her to him and held her, gently rocking her back and forth.

"I'm sorry, Mabel," he murmured. "I'm so sorry."

"Why did he do it?" she whispered between sobs. "Why didn't he think about what it would do to me?"

"Oh, sweetie," Stan said. "He _was _thinking about you."

They stayed that way for a long while, until Mabel mumbled, "We can't let it be for nothing." She stood up and helped Grunkle Stan to his feet. "We have to stop Bipper." Stanford nodded and they headed up to the attic to start searching through the journals.


	7. Chapter 7

"Ah, thIS Is tHE LifE, eH PinETREe?" Bipper stood, hands on his hips, surveying the swath of destruction he had carved through the forest. The football field-sized clearing they were standing in was newly made. The trees closest to them were still burning merrily. Fortunately, Bill seemed to have gotten lost and had wandered away from the town.

"I think it's a little unnecessary," Dipper remarked dryly.

"MAybE SO, bUT It SUre iS FUn!" He snapped his fingers and then laughed as yet another half-dozen trees spontaneously combusted.

Dipper figured that Bill would probably be here for a while, and that the fountains of smoke were as good a tracker as anything, so he unobtrusively sank into the ground until he hit one of the tunnels. It took him a moment to recognize where he was, but once he had his bearings, he quickly flew through the winding passages until he reached the cavern that held the machine. Now that it was activated, it was too dangerous for any living person to get too close. But Dipper, as a pseudo ghost, would be just fine. He hoped. He steadied his nerves, and then dove into the heart of the machine. What he found was _bad. _But, wincing against the heat and the light he could feel even without a body, he saw a pattern in the chaos, a pattern that, if reversed… Dipper flew back to the Shack so quickly he nearly teleported. Stanley had to know! They could stop the end of the world!

He found Stanley and Tyrone in the basement, trying to find a solution to the clone's issue that went beyond wrapping him in plastic from head to toe.

"-try the spray, but that might just melt you. Do you know if…" Dipper ignored the conversation and tried to find a way to communicate. Tyrone was the obvious choice to knock out and temporarily possess, but he didn't know how the paper would react, and he really didn't want to knock poor Tyrone unconscious. He racked his brains for a solution. He was just a ghost, but even ghosts could sometimes interact with the world. What could ghosts do? Based on his experiences with real ghosts and what he'd seen on T.V., ghosts could do pretty much whatever they wanted on their own turf, but the Shack was Stanford's. The rest of the time, ghosts could mess with people, make things float, turn lights on and off… Dipper grinned. That would work.

He swooped down to the table, where Stanley's newest journal lay open under a bright desk lamp. Concentrating on making his arm as solid as possible, he stuck his hand through the power cord. The light blinked off and Dipper laughed at his success. Stanley and Tyrone paused and stared at the lamp. Quickly, Dipper pulled his hand out of the cord and replaced it three times, then repeated the action three more times slowly, finishing with three more quick flashes. S-O-S. Now he had their full attention.

"Dipper?" Tyrone asked.

-.- - . …

"Dipper!" the clone and the Author shouted in unison, but the lamp was flashing again.

.-.. .. … - . -.

They closed their mouths on the questions they were going to ask while Stanley flipped to a blank page in his journal to write out the letters.

.-. . …- . .-. … . - …. . - - .- -.-. .. -. . .-.-.- .. - .-.. .-.. … .- …- . - …. . .- - - - - .-. .-.. -.. .-.-.- …. ..- .-. .-. -.- - .-.-.-

The light turned on and stayed on. Tyrone and Stanley stared at it for a moment longer, and then looked down at what he'd written. They they looked up and met each other's eyes.

"I'm going-"

"-I'll tell the other two."

Stanley grabbed his journal and ran for the entrance to the tunnels, while Tyrone darted into the elevator. But before Stanley disappeared into the darkness, he stopped and looked back at the empty room. "Thank you, Dipper." Then he was gone.

Dipper followed Tyrone up to the Shack. He would have tried to communicate with the clone, but he was already exhausted from focusing for so long. So they ran up to Mabel's room in silence. Tyrone hesitated outside her room, and Dipper knew he was debating whether or not to tell Mabel that her brother's ghost had told them what to do. Then he pushed the door open. Grunkle Stan and Mabel looked up and the clone said, "We found a way to stop Bill's plans. We have to reverse the machine, and then everything will reset. Stanley's already headed there now." Mabel was already gone. Stanford collected the journals and then he and Tyrone followed her, Dipper floating invisibly behind.

"Stanley!" Stanford called, running into the machine's cavern. The Author looked up from what he was doing as the trio drew near. "Tyrone says you can fix this. Can you?"

He sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. It will take me a while to get the outer panels apart so I can get to the mechanisms inside. And we can't turn it off or the Earth will probably crack, so we have to be extremely careful. Tyrone, don't come near this. We don't need you vaporized by a stray blast of steam. Mabel, can you work with him to find a way to keep him from melting if the fire alarm goes off?"

She nodded, but before they left, she turned back and asked, "Grandpa Stan, is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Take care of Tyrone," he said, wishing there was something more that he could say. When they were gone, he turned to his brother. "Let's get to work."

...

The clock read 3:42 AM. Stanley was still working. Stanford was asleep on one of the mats they had brought down, ready to take over if his brother got too tired to continue. Tyrone was curled up on another mat, apparently asleep. No one, himself included, knew if he could sleep, but he did get tired so he tried to get some rest. Mabel lay on her side, staring at the dancing lights reflecting off the walls, turning the cavern a mottled orange-red-purple. Stanley's dark form kept moving as well as he pried off sheets of metal and pulled out mile after mile of useless wiring. Finally, after his hands were blistered and bloodied, he stopped, nudged Stanford awake, and then collapsed onto the recently-vacated mat. Just as he was drifting off, he heard a quiet voice ask, "Will the machine reset everything?"

"Sorry?" he said, propping himself up on one elbow.

"Will everything go back to the way it was before? With Soos, and Wendy, and Waddles?"

"…I don't know. We can only hope and pray that it will. Get some sleep, Mabel."


	8. Chapter 8

Half an hour before dawn, Stanford shouted in triumph, waking the others. Stanley was by his side in an instant while Mabel rubbed sleep from her eyes and Tyrone blearily sat up.

"What's going on?" Mabel called, standing. Stanley looked over his shoulder, beaming.

"We're in! And it shouldn't take too long to reverse it! We finally-" The ground started to shake and pebbles dropped from the roof.

"Stanley?" Stanford asked nervously.

"I don't know- Look out!"

The ceiling shattered. Before anyone could react, the rocks stopped midair, slowly turning. Then they rose into the red-tinged sky. Standing at the edge of the new crater was Bipper, a twisted grin cutting through his features.

"THEre yOU ArE!"

He clenched his fist and the boulders were crushing into dust and blown away by the wind. He knelt at the edge of the cavern, leaning forward on his front leg.

"LoOK aT yoU, sCUrrYiNG ARouNd iN The dARk lIKE cockROacHES! YOu sHOUld tRY STaNdinG In tHE LIGHT!"

He raised his hand and the ground under their feet obeyed. They all fell down as the cavern floor rose until it was level with the surface, and then it kept going, Bipper on one side and the Pines on the other, until they all stood on a circular plateau fifty meters above the ground. From there, they could see what the dream demon had been up to all night. Stretching as far as they could see in all directions was a charred and smoking wasteland. There was nothing left of the town of Gravity Falls. Bipper laughed at the horror on their faces.

"THe gREaT Pines TwiNs! ALToGeThER aGAiN aND NONe oF yOu CAn sTOP ME!"

"Dipper stopped you!" Mabel cried. "He had a plan!"

"YOU REALly thINK SO? TEll hEr whAt yOu tOLd mE, PiNeTrEE!" Bipper snapped his fingers and Dipper blinked into visibility beside his sister.

"Dipper!" shouted everyone. He was still semitransparent, and his voice sounded like it was coming from a long way off. "Stan! The machine!"

The original mystery twins sprinted for the machine, but Bipper threw up a barrier that they harmlessly bounced off.

"OOpSIe DAisY!" Bipper sang, flicking his wrist, sending the machine into overdrive.

As they struggled to get through to the screaming and beeping machine, Dipper turned to Mabel and shouted over the noise, "I'm sorry, Mabel! I should have talked to you first, but-"

"What is Bill talking about?" Mabel yelled.

"I told him that there wasn't anything we could do, but-"

"YOu Were rIGHT! AHAHahA!" Bipper called, sauntering over. Dipper protectively put himself in between his body and his sister. Tyrone struggled to his feet and joined them, standing beside Dipper. They exchanged a nod and then returned their attention to Bipper.

"YoU ThoUGhT yOu coULd sToP ME," he laughed, crossing his arms in an X over his head. "…BUT I'vE ALReADY WON!"

He sliced his arms down.

And nothing happened.

Everyone stared as Bipper frowned and looked at his arms. A smile grew on Dipper's face as Bill pointed at a rock and snapped his fingers. The rock did nothing.

"WHaT?" Bill asked, bewildered as nothing he tried had any effect. Tyrone felt his relief bubble up and burst as laughter. Mabel stared in confusion. "Dipper, what's going on?"

Her brother turned to her with a grin. "I told Bill that there wasn't anything we could do. _But I was lying._" Bipper's head snapped up.

"YOu WHAT?!" he screeched, a snarl disfiguring his face. He took a step towards them violence in his eyes, but his leg collapsed underneath him. Bill finally realized that something was very, very wrong. The body shook and its eyes rolled back as the demon fought to abandon it, to no avail. Eventually, he stopped trying to escape and retook control. He finally paid attention to the throbbing on his side and back. He clawed at his side, tearing apart the blinding sign, and became aware of the binding sigil on his back. He screamed in rage and fear, clutching at his wounded side. He glared at Dipper as sweat appeared on his face and the dull, cold ache began to get sharper. "WHAT DiD YOU DO?!"

Dipper looked back over his shoulder, and with only the tiniest pang of regret for his actions, said, "I stopped you."

Behind them, the Stans broke through the barrier. At his brother's instruction, Stanford pulled open a panel on the heart of the machine, engulfing them both in a blinding golden light. Stanley jammed his arm into the heart for a moment, and then withdrew it covered to the shoulder in strange, glowing burns. Stanford let the panel snap shut and then he and his twin, who was cradling his arm, dove away from the machine. Grunkle Stan yelled something at the kids but there was a deafening humming noise in the air. Tyrone suddenly tackled Bipper to the ground, pinning him just before he got to his feet again. Before Mabel or Dipper could respond, the machine exploded in a silent implosion. It seemed to draw every color into itself while driving all shadows beyond the horizon. The younger Pines twins were caught full-on by the blast and left standing in a white void. Dipper was vividly reminded on the portal explosion which had freed Stanley. Time stopped for everyone but the two of them. Stanley, Stanford, Tyrone, and Bipper were all frozen where they had fallen, but where the machine had been was a swirling cloud of rainbow lights.

"Dipper, what _is _that?" Mabel asked.

He frowned. "I think it's the dream magic that Bill used on our world."

"So what does it mean?" "I…I think it means that anything Bill did with it got undone. Now the magic is just… sitting here."

"…Does that mean it worked?"

"…I think it does."

They stared at each other with wide eyes. Mabel whispered, "We did it." Then she grinned.

"WE DID IT!" She spun Dipper around and then tightly hugged him. Then she noticed that she could touch him.

"Dipper! You're back!" He looked at his body, lying on the ground a couple meters away.

"I don't think so," he said quietly. "You've still got a triangle around your eye. The deal still stands and Bill owns my body."

"But, Dipper… we won. The world is safe. Bill is defeated. You don't have to die, bro-bro. We can use the dream magic to fix your body-"

"We can't, Mabel. If we do, Bill will survive and do the exact same thing, or he'll do something else entirely different and next time, he won't lose. This has to end now. And I can't make it out of this one."

With tears in her eyes, Mabel whispered, "…But I just got you back. Don't leave me again." At that, Dipper laughed a little.

"Come one, Mabel. We're twins! We can't ever really leave each other. There a part of me in your head and in your heart. You've never been able to do anything without hearing my thoughts about it, and that isn't going to change. Don't waste your life crying over me. Be the sweater-knitting, pig-loving, fantastic girl you are. But always remember that I love you, Mabel. Always." They embraced, holding each other as tightly as they could. "I love you too, Dipper." They could have stood there forever, but eventually Dipper felt his form weakening.

"Goodbye, sis," he murmured, squeezing her tightly one last time. And then letting go.

Mabel stood by herself in the white void for a long time. And then, with her eyes clear and her voice steady, she said, "That's not good enough."

She marched over to the cloud and stuck both of her arms in. When she pulled them out, the rainbow lights stuck to her arms like extra-fluffy cotton candy. "Dipper might be gone," she muttered, "but the world still needs him, and I am _not _going home without a brother!" She put her hands on Tyrone's still shoulders, _imagined something really cool, _focused, and-

-woke up. They were all in the middle of a clearing in the forest. The trees were lush and green, and the first beams of dawn were peeking over the mountaintops. The machine stood in the middle of the clearing, cold and dark and dead. Stanley slowly sat up, examining the new scars wrapping around his arm. Stanford checked on his brother and then stood and jogged over to the kids. Mabel knelt beside Tyrone, who was rubbing his forehead.

"Are you okay?" Grunkle Stan asked, kneeling beside them.

"I'm fine," Mabel replied, still looking at the clone.

"I… I think I'm okay," Tyrone said shakily. "But something feels weird- Hey!"

Mabel stole his hat and beamed at him. Then she spat on his hat. To their surprise, it didn't bubble, fizz, or dissolve. It just sat there, a little soggier than before.

"You're human, Tyrone!" she revealed.

"W-What?"

"Probably got caught in the backlash," Stanley explained, coming up behind his brother. Then Tyrone stammered, "W-what about Dipper?"

They all looked down at the last figure. Bipper stared at the trees and the lightening sky, seeing none of it. Stanford sadly bowed his head, and, remembering, pressed a button on his watch. It read 15:16:23.

"Mabel, are you okay?" Tyrone asked. She shook her head.

"No. But I will be." She didn't cry. She'd done enough crying for now. "Let's go home."


	9. Epilogue

The funeral was a small one. It had to be, because, to the world, Dipper Pines was alive and well. But there was still a body to be buried. Mabel wore a black sweater, specially knitted for today. Tyrone stood beside her, still coming to grips with being the Dipper Classic. Waddles lay at their feet. Grunkle Stan and Grandpa Stanley stood together, distraught and reliving the moment oh-so-long ago when they had lost each other. Soos and Wendy were back and they mourned quietly, lost and bewildered at the events they had missed. Pacifica stood alone She'd taken to wearing a veil to hide her sorrow after Tyrone and Mabel told her what had happened. The people of Gravity Falls and her parents were all very impressed with the bold new fashion statement, but no one suspected that every so often, a sudden memory would draw silent tears behind the veil. Today, it was gone and she shamelessly let the tears for her friend fall. Altogether, seven people and a pig were gathered around the fresh dirt and the newly-planted pine tree. They spoke about his intelligence, his bravery, and his occasional stupidity. Through their tears, they eventually began to smile, remembering his quirks and humor. Someone suggested a reception thing at the Mystery Shack, a celebration of Dipper's life and his heroism. They started to head back, but Grunkle Stan turned back before he was gone and asked, "Are you two coming?" Mabel and Tyrone hadn't moved.

"We'll be in in a moment," the boy answered. Stan nodded and left. After a minute, Mabel quietly said, "I miss him, Tyrone."

"I know," he replied. "Mabel, can you look at me?"

She did so, confused. Tyrone brushed her hair out of her face and looked closely. Almost invisible but still apparent to anyone who was trying to see it was a triangle around her right eye. He smiled.

"You've still got the mark. He's still protecting you. Even though he's gone, Dipper is still watching out for you. And I'm watching out for you too." She smiled, and then looked away. She gently rested her fingers on the baby pine tree. Then she took his arm and they walked back to the Shack.

"This time, bro," she said with a smile, "_I'm _watching out for _you._"

They stopped before going in and hugged, finally starting to trust each other again. Then they walked into the Mystery Shack, where friends and family awaited. The evil was vanquished, the world saved, and the Mystery Twins were back.


End file.
